Whilst reading the beginning of this novel, I got the sense that Vargas Llosa was deeply inspired by Madame Bovary, and the controversy of a female character who is allowed to function as a man would within the realm of the novel. (I also noted that Flaubert gets a shout out on page 45!) I read Ricardo as a less boring Charles Bovary with traits of Emma's; a man who delights in simplicity like Charles (although Charles was more just simple, and did not "desire" simplicity) and desires a romantic, ideal love much like Emma. Ricardo also had an unstable childhood and looked to novels to escape, desiring an adventure to Paris. He desires Lily just as Emma desired any man she was with in the novel; she seemingly represents everything he wants in a woman.
"With her model's looks, her dark mischievous eyes, and her small mouth with full lips, Lily was the incarnation of coquettishness." - page 6.
The quote above makes Lily's function in the novel obvious, the language even says that she is "a flirt". Coquettishness is a french saying for flirt, which is meaningful considering Ricardo's fascination with Paris. Anyway, a flirt is the ultimate object of desire, as they never follow through on what their behavior suggests. Their presence is as fleeting as the promise of their touch or their words. This novel reminds me of That Obscure Object of Desire for this reason, and because Lily is not the same person throughout the novel. It does not matter so much who she is as what she represents; she is the object of desire. No matter where Ricardo is in life, he will always desire her, no matter who she is.
The shape-shifting of Lily's character throughout the novel is similar to Emma's interactions with the men in Madame Bovary. It didn't matter who those men were; Emma wanted what she wanted, and she was going to search until she found what she was looking for. Lily could be ten different people and Ricardo would still desire her just the same. An example of this is when Ricardo first came across Lily in Paris, now Mrs. Richardson. "In love with me without knowing me? Do you mean that for ten years you've been hoping that one day a girl like me would turn up in your life?" (pg. 23). Ricardo truly believes this is the same person he was "in love" with, and will not stop desiring her, although he never really knew "Lily."
Lily's infidelity reminded me of Emma, although their infidelity has different purposes. Emma had affairs because she was searching for an idealized love, much like Ricardo. She was obsessed with this image and determined to see it realized. Lily was adulterous because she is the object of desire, and an object of desire cannot be contained. She is a "bad girl", a girl with no ties to monogamy and no concept of loyalty. She desires being the "object of desire" just as much as Ricardo desires her. Her identity is malleable because it needs to be if she is going to be the elusive figure that is lusted after.
The language that Vargas Llosa uses is very telling of the novel's overall meaning; sentences such as "she breathed in the warmth of day and let herself be penetrated and adored by the light that filtered through the tops of the weeping willows," (pg. 53) compares the light of day to one of Lily's male admirers, something that desires and "adores" her presence. The novel is beautifully written and the language makes desiring Lily sound appealing to the reader. It was hard to choose quotes to use in this post because there are a million that say something profound and interesting.
Lily describes Ricardo very well when she says, "You're satisfied with what you have, aren't you? But it isn't anything, good boy. I'll never be satisfied with what I have. I'll always want more." (pg 57). Lily is like Emma in this way; she is constantly desiring to be desired, just as Ricardo desires her and her only. When Ricardo is with Lily, he is entirely satisfied, but desire cannot be entirely fulfilled, so he cannot have her.
Although Lily is primarily an object of desire, she has a lot in common with Emma. She is somehow always burdened by society, sticking true to what Emma had said in Madame Bovary about men being free and women being burdened. She is captive to her desires too, and her relentless appetite to break free imprisons her.
The first half of the book chronicles Ricardo's obsession and Lily's indifference, and how it might look for Ricardo to see his obsession a bit more realistically. Chapter Four, and what happens when Lily has sex with him for her "lord", brings reality into Ricardo's world, to a place where he questions his devotion and wonders why he has been so subservient to it for so long.
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